Off-Grid Living in Exeter, Rhode Island

I've been digging through Exeter, Rhode Island's zoning code and building department pages for anyone thinking about going off-grid there, and here's the honest picture.

Exeter is a zoned town, working off a zoning ordinance the town adopted back in 1995 and has amended since (it's Appendix A to the town's Code of Ordinances, hosted on Municode). That matters because Exeter's code takes a "use table" approach: if a use isn't listed as allowed in your district, it's treated as prohibited unless the Zoning Board weighs in. So raw land isn't a blank slate here, what you can legally do with it depends on your zoning district, and I'd confirm that with the Zoning Inspector's office before assuming anything.

On dwellings: this is where I'd slow down if you're picturing a tiny home or an RV as a primary residence. The ordinance language I found is blunt, it prohibits "temporary and/or mobile facilities" for residential use across all districts, with narrow carve-outs (government-owned units, certain storage containers in non-residential zones). RVs can be parked or stored on a residential lot under separate rules, but living in one full-time isn't authorized as a legal dwelling as far as I can tell.

Building permits run through Exeter's own Building Department, but the code they're enforcing is Rhode Island's statewide building code, not a town-invented one. The town has a Building Inspector plus separate Electrical and Plumbing/Mechanical Inspectors, and permitting is available online through E-Permitting.

Septic is a good example of a two-layer system: Exeter's ordinance explicitly punts sewage disposal design and siting to Rhode Island DEM's OWTS (onsite wastewater treatment) program, so the town coordinates but the state sets the rules. Composting toilets aren't addressed in the local text I found, so that's genuinely unclear, ask the Building Department directly.

Greywater reuse similarly has no Exeter-specific language, it falls under DEM's general wastewater framework, so treat it as state-level and not confirmed at the town level.

Rainwater harvesting looks fine, I didn't find any Exeter restriction, and Rhode Island's state framework actually permits it (there's even a state income tax credit angle for cisterns).

Private wells are a state matter too, run through the RI Department of Health for testing and licensing, with no extra Exeter ordinance hurdle beyond normal building/plumbing permitting.

Living fully disconnected from utilities is where the state baseline bites hardest: Exeter requires a Certificate of Occupancy before you can legally occupy a structure, and that ties back to statewide building code utility-connection expectations, potable water, sanitary facilities, and so on. I didn't find any off-grid exemption carved out locally.

Bottom line: Exeter isn't hostile to off-grid infrastructure like wells, cisterns, or septic, but it is firm about not letting mobile or temporary structures count as permanent housing. Call ahead before you commit to a plan.